Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-07-29
THE LOVE LETTER.

:, -
the charge Of those children, you'll
see!" said Bessie Carpenter. S.
The time did come, and she did SET.
The boot was on the other leg then, and
it pinched amazingly. s..4 e u
When Bessie Carpenter made that
disparaging and rather threatening
remark about those children she was
Just home from school, and was enduring
their noisy pranks with the greatest
impatience and disgust. She was only
their half sister, and that perhaps had
something to do with her being so
critical. - WI. =7
Their mother, q feeble, faded, fretful
woman, sank under the burden Of life;
and no wonder. Then Bessie took it
upon her shoulders, and a busy time
she had. Those children gave her no
rest by night or by day. They were as
full Of young life and energy as Bessie
herself, and they were four to her one.
She was determined that they never
should get the better of her; but some
times they did. Still Bessie struggled
on; now she could not help laughing
because Jack and the two little girls
were so mischievous; now she could
not help crying because Beth, the old
est, was SO fiery and stubborn. But
there those irrepressible little beings
were, and she had to manage them as
best she could.
She worked herself into O. slow fever
ut last, and then her papa began to re-
aliza what the trouble was, and he sent
her, with all the children, out to their
grandmamma Howard's for the summer.
Mrs. Howard lived in q pretty, healthy
village, and she was gentle, plea
SAINT old lady whom no one could help
loving. Bessie began to love her the
very first day, though she was not her
own grandmother, but the grandmother
of those dreadful children. i
Mrs. Howard did not try to cover up
their faults; but she set herself seriously
at work to cure tEsm, for she thought
Bessie had hard time OF it. She took
charge Of them part OF the time,
and put Bessie under the care Of
her own doctor, who said she re-
CURED very little medicine and great
deal of rest. Bessie thought SO too;
but she knew the facts in the case too
ell to expect great deal of rest.
Doctor Payne was young man, and
he could not help finding out that Bes-
sic Carpenter was very pretty girl and
very nice girl. Then he discovered
that she was q very unselfish girl,
though quick-tempered one, and be-
gan to sympathize deeply with her in
her daily tribulations with her unruly
Tribe.
II am sure am thankful every day of
my life" said he, ito find that they
have not burned the house down, or
pushed each other into the we'll in one
Of their quarrels. And as for noise!
Good heavens! I can hardly hear N.Y.
self think! What shame for that low
ely girl to be slave to such set of un-
yrnly cubs!" f
And he very soon began to consider
whether her destiny could not be chang
ed. It did not take him long to decide
that Bessie would make q very charm
ing Mrs. Doctor Payne, and he was
him! But he never could get chance
10 approach the subjec: with her; she
avas so honest and unsuspecting that
abe did not observe his attempts, and
then she was always surrounded by a
shouting crew There was not
much chance of whispering a word Of
love in that house.
DR.. Payne got out of patience at
%lengt',, aud determined to write to her
since there was no other way. He felt
little uneasy for fear she should reply
that she never had thought of such a
thing, and couldn't think of it anyway.
But nevertheless he wrote to her. He
WIS rather shy of using pet names with
young ladies', and he addressed his let
ter somewhat formally to Miss Elizabeth
Carpenter. -. ..4-, "<eI -. : 4. S.
"Heres a letter for .Bess!" cried Jack,
ibringing it in. t9% ~ Il,
"No it isn't" snapped Beth, looking
over his shoulder, "that's my name.
Twas kissened Elizabeth, and she was
kissaned Bessie, and that's all her
raame." -.
80 sho!" said Jack loftil y. Maybe
It's love letter. g You amt near old
enough, nor handsome enough for that"
"You don't know anything! cried
Beth. snatching the letter out Of his
hand, and running off with it. She dis
appeared in blaze pf wrath as truly
Is ever did any witch &ho went up Chin
ney. ,%s&.,$. .ss .i
She did not come down again till
dinner. In the meantime she had OPP
ened and read the letter and written
and despatched the answer. The last
: IA Il.